10 seeking Temecula commission seat

MATHIEU BLACKSTON

Staff Writer

TEMECULA -- Ten residents, including an environmental planner,
psychiatric technician and a firefighter, are vying for two
Planning Commission seats that open up in July.

The City Council is scheduled to make the appointments next
month. The three-year terms of commissioners John Telesio and Andy
Webster are up for reappointment. Telesio is seeking another term.
Webster, who has served two terms as a Temecula planning
commissioner, said he is stepping down to pursue other personal and
professional interests.

Planning commissioners review land use applications -- ranging
from home additions to master-planned developments -- that come
before the city. They base their decisions on the city's zoning
regulations and since they are appointed rather than elected,
commission seats are generally not considered political positions.
However, it's not uncommon for Planning Commissioners to use their
seats as springboards for political office. In Lake Elsinore, three
of the city's current council members were previously planning
commissioners, and in 1999 Temecula Commissioners Ron Guerriero and
Mike Naggar ran for City Council. Naggar was elected.

A council committee of Naggar and Mayor Jeff Comerchero will
review the 10 applications and make a recommendation to the rest of
the council tentatively scheduled for June 12. At that time, it
will take three instead of four council votes to appoint the
commissioners. In July 2000, council members changed the city's
policy of requiring a majority of four after they had trouble
reaching consensus on filling two seats. Naggar and Councilman Sam
Pratt voted against the policy change.

In alphabetical order, the applicants are as follows: The
information provided was gleaned from the respective applications
that were released by the city clerk's office last week.

Deborah Christensen, an environmental planner and substitute
teacher with the Temecula Valley Unified School District, has a
degree in urban and regional planning and highlights her experience
in conducting environmental reports related to housing, population
and employment.

Charles Coe, a sales manager with Omni Concepts, has served on
the Temecula Public Traffic Safety Commission and is currently a
member of the Hotel Engineers and Professional Club Builders
Associations. He says he has no interest in using the Planning
Commission as a stepping stone to the council.

Darrell Connerton, a consultant with DLC Consulting &
Construction Management, is currently on the Temecula Public
Traffic Safety Commission and is a member of two associations
affiliated with the building industry as well as the Temecula
Valley Congress of Republicans and the Lincoln Club of Riverside
County. He says he has served as an expert witness in more than 200
cases involving construction defects.

Edward Dool, owner of the Temecula Stage Stop, serves on the
Temecula Town Association, the local chamber of commerce and the
local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He highlights his
experience with Old Town redevelopment and his development of the
Temecula Transportation Center.

Philip Hoxley, a firefighter with the County of Los Angeles
Fire Department, is a member of Citizens Against Tax Subsidies and
the Temecula Old Town Advancement League. He says he believes the
city needs to address growth and density within its boundaries and
that he would "represent the citizens rather than the
developers."

Paul Jacobs, a licensed psychiatric technician with Fairview
Development Center, served on the Temecula-Murrieta Traffic
Awareness Now Committee in 2000 and is a member of the California
Association of Psychiatric Technicians. He is currently vice
president of the Vintage Hills Planned Community Association.

Burton Lazare, a retired doctor of chiropractic medicine, has
served on the citizens committee of planning and development for
Chula Vista. He said that while he ran a private practice, he also
gained experience in construction and development by partnering in
the building of homes and multi-family housing units.

Greg Morrison, a director of legislative and community affairs
for the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, is currently a
member of the Temecula and Murrieta chambers of commerce. In his
application, he included letters of recommendation from 1st
District Supervisor Bob Buster and state senator Ray Haynes,
R-Temecula, for whom he worked during the mid-1990s.

Mary Jane Olhasso, an economic development director for
Ontario, served on the Temecula ONE (Operation Neighborhood
Enrichment) committee and the Temecula Community Partnership for
the Temecula Valley Unified School District and is a member of the
Temecula Town Association. She also served as the city's first
finance director and as the assistant city manager.

Telesio, a current planning commissioner, is seeking a second
appointment to the commission. He is a self-employed insurance
inspector and began serving on the commission in 2000 when he took
over the unexpired vacancy of Naggar after he was elected to the
council.

Planning Commission appointments are the subjective decisions of
the council. The only requirements are city residency and being
registered to vote.